A Public Trust at Risk: Findings of the Heritage Health Index

About the Lecture:

The Heritage Health Index, published in 2005, was the first survey to
assess the condition of U.S. collections held by institutions, large
and small, from internationally renowned art museums and research libraries
to local historical societies and archives. Heritage Preservation, the
country’s leading conservation advocate, conducted the study in
partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The survey
was developed with the input of 35 national associations and federal
agencies, including the staff of the Library of Congress. To date, 25,000
copies of A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on
the State of America’s Collections have been distributed, and the
data has received national and international press attention. This talk
will outline the major findings and data pertaining to library materials
to help inform the Library of Congress’s internal studies of the
condition and preservation needs of its collections.

About the Speaker:

Kristen Overbeck
Laise

Kristen Overbeck Laise is the Vice President for Collections Care Programs
at Heritage Preservation, a national, non-profit organization that advocates
for collections. She directed the Heritage Health Index, the first comprehensive
survey of the condition and preservation needs of U.S. collections. The
survey, which released its results in December 2005, was coordinated
by Heritage Preservation in partnership with the Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) with funding from the Getty Foundation and
other private foundations. Ms. Laise is currently directing another national
initiative, Rescue Public Murals. Previously, she coordinated the Conservation
Assessment Program, a technical assistance program for small museums
administered by Heritage Preservation in cooperation with IMLS. She holds
a BA in History from Earlham College and a MA in Art History from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked with the History of
Cartography Project.